


Truth or Dare?

by defiersofthestars



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: A tribute to the ROTS novelization, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben Solo Wears Glasses, Ben Solo in a tank top, Cute, Drawings, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Mention of gas explosion, No cats were harmed during the writing of this fic, Paintings references, Pastries, Pastries and paintings can be connected, Prompt Fic, Rey is 24 Ben is 26, Rey likes cooking, Terry Pratchett references, Tolkien References, Truth or Dare, bookworms, mention of alcoholism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25881793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/defiersofthestars/pseuds/defiersofthestars
Summary: Based on thepictures of Adam and Daisyposted by @bensololovesrey on Twitter.My prompt was: Rey is playing a game of “Truth or Dare” with her friends at the pajama party. She has to go to their tough neighbor and ask to help her wash a cat right now, at 11 pm. He opens the door and all she can think about is how hot he is in a tank top.(Or: Rose has a PLAN.)
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 20
Kudos: 114
Collections: Reylo Prompt Fills (@reylo_prompts)





	Truth or Dare?

**Author's Note:**

> [](https://ibb.co/5rBYgT0)  
>   
> A moodboard was made by talented @reylomyhalo on Twitter!

Rey starts feeling nervous as soon as she sees the triumphant smile on Rose's face. Damn their rule that you can’t choose truth three times in a row!

“Well, well,” her friend thoughtfully taps her chin, looking around her bedroom.

Trying to guess what’s on her mind Rey follows her gaze to the corkboard with notes and pictures of her friends and family on the wall, to the lights over her desk, to her wardrobe decorated with movie posters, to the window with a lonely pot with violet. Finally–

“Got it!” Rose salutes to her with a glass of wine, nearly spilling everything on the bed again. Kaydel and Jannah giggle, looking at Rey gleefully. Rey tries to hide behind a flower-shaped pillow like a shield. As if on purpose, Ed Sheeran's voice from Jannah's phone becomes louder.

Rose already had more than two glasses of wine after trying rum brought by Jannah, and soon her imagination will have _no_ boundaries. Just in case, Rey repeats some more rules of this game to herself: all weird photos are immediately deleted, no one shouts curses out of a window, no one buys anything with credit cards. (Rose is still afraid to _touch_ that expensive gold crescent-shaped pendant she bought a month ago, even though she herself almost made Kaydel let her perform this “dare”).

“You stand up now…”

Alright.

“You go out into the hallway. You reach apartment 2904...”

_Oh my God._

“You knock and ask our sour-face-neighbor to help you bathe your cat!” Rose blurts out in one breath and bursts out laughing, leaning back on the pillows.

Ed Sheeran falls silent. Rey can feel her jaw drop. The other girls cover their faces with their hands.

“Rose, it's almost midnight!”

“He’s still awake. When I return home late at night, I always see the light in his apartment.”

“We don’t have a cat,” Rey objects half-heartedly, still refusing to go and knock on someone’s door in the middle of the night.

“Honey, that's the point.” Rose scratches her chin like if Rey is a cat herself. Rey pushes her hand away.

“And what if... he agrees to help?”

Her question and worried tone spark another burst of laughter. Wiping away tears, Kaydel takes another sip from her glass of beer.

“Solo is _a darling_. He is the size of a refrigerator, and he tries to hide from us in the hallway all the time. Don’t be afraid, later you can just say it’s a joke. Maybe he will at least _smile_!”

Rey still has no desire to go and see if she can make a stranger smile, but she didn’t want to break the rules either. In addition, her friends constantly tell her that it was time to stop being cowardly – _"otherwise, you’ll never know the taste of life and you’ll never find your true love!"_ Solo won’t bite, after all...

With drinks in their hands, the girls walk her to the door and, as she walks down the hallway, they quietly cheer her on, as if secretly watching a basketball game.

Rey licks her lips nervously, clenching her fists. Here is the door – black, shiny, with silver numbers. She knocks.

_Jeez, Rose didn't tell her his name!_

Seconds pass. No one answers. Overjoyed that he's probably not at home, Rey is about to leave when suddenly the door flees open. Her gaze settles on muscular shoulders and a broad chest covered by a black tank top. Slowly, she raises her head, mouth parted.

His pale face with a strong nose and cheeks with little moles is framed by waves of thick raven hair she immediately wants to touch. His brown eyes stare at her questioningly and a little bit wearily.

This man is absolutely _handsome_.

And she is going to ask him to bathe her non-existent cat.

“H-hi,” Rey babbles.

He glances slowly up at her wide pajama pants and oversized Marvel shirt.

“Hi, can I help you?”

Good lord, why does this happen to her? In other situation she would have laughed and asked this damn stupid question, before coming back and making Rose perform the Dance of the Little Swans. His deep, soft voice is _perfect_ for reading Shakespeare's sonnets in a dimly lit theater with scarlet velvet seats.

Rey looks at his plush lips, hoping to figure out what to do next, but she gets even more embarrassed. Actually, she happens to like men of a completely different type, but one look at him – at _Solo_ – makes her jelly-legged.

“Yes!” Rey exclaims too loudly, belatedly waving her hand. “I need your help with an important mission.”

He raises his eyebrows.

“It’s _extremely_ important,” she continues, nodding, crossing her arms over her chest, gathering her strength. “And it’s urgent.”

_What the hell is she saying?_

“I-I need you to help me bathe my cat!”

A ringing silence reigns in the hallway.

“His name is Benny, and he is very afraid of water. He's wearing me out.”

She looks into his eyes innocently, as if expecting him to understand the complexity of the situation, hearing muffled laughter at the end of the hallway: barely closing the door, her friends are listening to her conversation with their neighbor.

Rey pulls the collar of her shirt away from her neck, as if to freshen up a little after hard work. Her cheeks burn from embarrassment, though.

He frowns, looking out into the hallway, then casting his gaze on her shirt again and sniffing. Rey herself can feel the sharp smell of alcohol – she didn’t change her clothes after Rose spilling rum all over the bed they’re sitting on.

The door of Rose and Kaydel’s apartment slams shut _too quickly_. Tilting his head down, Solo stares at Rey with an intensity that makes her chill.

“I don’t give a damn _how_ my neighbors get drunk on Friday night and _with whom_. But their fun should always remain _within_ their apartment,” he grits out.

“I didn’t…” Rey gasps at the injustice. She becomes drowsy after drinking just _one_ glass of wine, and she has barely taken a couple of sips since coming to the pajama party a few hours ago. She is always the most sober one at her friends’ parties.

“Look, this is just _a play_ –“

“I don’t play with drunkards.”

Giving her a scornful look, he slams the door.

Rey stares at it for a while, her mouth open, not moving at all.

“Rey?” Jannah calls softly, sticking her head out of the doorway.

A few seconds later, Rose is on her bed, whimpering with laughter, while Rey threatens her with plenty of newly minted “dares”. To hell with their rules.

“Why didn't you tell me he looks like a _goddamn Greek god_?” she yells finally, waving her arms. Jannah chuckles at the analogy, eating a piece of the chocolate cake made by Rey. Kaydel, meanwhile, is already looking on her phone for the $150 dirty word shirt that Rose will have to wear to her work at school. “I looked like a complete idiot, feeding him a story about Benny the cat in the middle of the night!”

“ _Benny_!” Rose exclaims, drumming her fists against the mattress, shaking her head. “God, Rey, you’re unbelievable!”

“Well, maybe, _Rosie_ would’ve been a better name!”

Rey runs her fingers through her hair, sighing. At least, she was not forced to say something more unpleasant to him.

“Rey...” Kaydel looks at her with pity and, just in case, takes a step back. “Your god’s name is Ben Solo.”

__________

For the first time, Rey is glad she lives far from Rose and Kaydel. She has no idea how she would look Ben Solo in the eye after that evening. And although after a couple of days Rose tells her that she had caught the above-mentioned neighbor on the street and explained to him they were just fooling around, Rey still cannot forget his scornful (and _disappointed_?) eyes.

People have been wrong about her before. At school, she, an orphan, had always been looked down upon. She had felt especially disgusting looks on her storming into the classroom after the bell ringing, disheveled and flushed, because the last bus had left right in front of her nose, and she had had to force her sick (but no less stubborn) grandma Maz to take medicine.

Rey knows she's better than other people might think, and this helps her stay optimistic. However, now she feels herself hurt worse than ever before for some reason.

Fortunately, the upcoming birthday party for Finn, Jannah's brother, helps her distract from the sad thoughts about Ben Solo (or rather about the fact that she would never be able to speak to him again). Finn, who is fond of science fiction and fantasy, said that this time he would require all guests to observe the dress code. Almost a month after that pajama party, when the work day is over, Rey goes to the art store. She decides to dress up as Gandalf and, taking glue and a long wooden stick to make a staff, now is looking for something to make a thick gray beard.

Absentmindedly waving the stick in the air and looking at her feet, she walks past the paint section and suddenly feels to her horror that the future magical staff of hers hits a dummy head wearing a fully decorated carnival mask on a stand. Flying through the air, its fabric flowers swinging and colorful patterns sparkling, the head lands on the floor with a loud _thud_ , and a moment later a large palm catches it.

“Oh God, I'm sorry, I-” Rey rushes forward and freezes. Holding the dummy head by its stand, Ben Solo rises to his full height. The grumpy expression on his face is the same, but this time his brown eyes look at her through angular glasses.

Rey hasn't noticed before that this store has ventilation problems (she certainly _doesn't_ think about the muscles hidden under his dark jacket).

Solo already opens his mouth, but she quickly holds out a hand with a closed tube of glue like the Phial of Galadriel, not giving him a chance to speak.

“I don't sniff glue, okay? I was just thinking!”

Several other customers turn around, looking surprised. The corner of his mouth twitches in amusement, and Rey blushes even more. Why does she always look like an idiot in front of him?

“Glad to hear it”.

His deep voice is impassive, but his look softens. “But the stick is too long for a lightsaber.”

“Why do you-” Rey pauses.

Today she has again pulled her hair into three buns, not because she is a fan of Kira from _Galactic Wars_ , a heroine with the same hairstyle and a lightsaber, but because taking her hair up like that is really _convenient,_ and the buns suit her pretty well.

“It’s for the wizard's staff. I'm going to a theme party.”

Ben nods slowly. He towers over her easily, and looking at him, she has an unexpected thought.

“You know, you would make a great Gandalf,” Rey nods her chin, smiling slightly.

“I think there should be only one wizard at the party.”

“That’s too bad,” she sticks out her lower lip. “Well, now I think I should dress like Rose and Kaydel.”

“Yeah, the three of you would make _great_ hobbits,” Ben intones, raising a brow. “They are the kings of the parties.”

Rey’s smile fades from her face.

“They’ll dress up as _elves_ ,” her voice hardens. “I know we have troubled you, Mr. Solo, but believe me, when it comes to the real fun, we don’t even come close to the hobbits. And we also drink _less_.”

He blinks, looking confused.

“Good night.” She turns away from him, proudly walking away with her stick, aka staff.

(She has to make a detour, as the fabric section is located in the other direction.)

__________

Ben feels like an idiot. He wanted to make a joke, but Rey (Rose Tico told him the name of her _cheerful-nice-sweet-like-an-angel- **unable-to-drink-alcohol** -etc. _friend) misinterpreted it and was clearly offended. He is often teased because of his height, and, imagining two small neighbors standing next to him, he immediately thought of the inhabitants of the Shire.

A voice in Ben's head (that sounds surprisingly like his father) reproaches him for being tongue-tied that is _unusual_ for the Solo men, before persuading him to find Rey and explain that he didn't want to offend her. And then, of course, Ben should tell her that an elven costume would be a great idea, because, with her beautiful green eyes and perfect figure, the only thing missing is pointy ears...

Not that Ben would like to follow Han's advice, but his father seems to always know what to say.

_Except those days when he used to get drunk as hell with his friends playing cards and come home stinking like a distillery._

Han has been a pure teetotaler for the last few years, but Ben still cannot contain his disgust even at the small doses of alcohol. That's why he was not delighted at all while smelling it from a really beautiful girl. _A stunning one_ , to be honest, even in that stretched pajamas, asking him to wash her cat that doesn't even _exist_.

Maybe it's time to start taking it easier...

Not finding Rey in the store, he sullenly walks to the checkout counter and holds out pencils and a ream of paper.

“Please, give me a head, sir.”

“What?!“ He stares in shock at a cashier.

“In your hand.” She points at the masked dummy he's still holding.

"I won't take it," Ben mutters. The richly decorated mask seems to somehow look at him as reproachfully as Rey.

A week passes. Ben thinks about Rey, hesitating to talk to her friends out of fear to cause an unending wave of giggles and meaningful looks.

Girls rarely show interest in him, and he is used to feeling lonely, but now he doesn't recognize himself. Rey, whom he saw a couple of times, has captured his mind. She has a sweet smile, and Ben wonders what her laugh sounds like, what she would say about his works, what she is doing now. He even finds Rose on Instagram and spends several hours _(honestly, how many pictures of one sunset do you need?)_ before finding some funny photos of Rey. Unfortunately, it looks like she herself doesn't have social media accounts.

A new pajama party next door is his only hope.

(He has no idea that Rey is tormented by similar thoughts in 30 blocks away from his apartment. Knowing Rose and Kaydel, she decides not to tell them anything, and since she and Ben couldn't speak to each other properly, the Internet is her only hope. Despite the fact that social networks always make her feel uncomfortable, she finds several beautiful paintings by him based on classic Hollywood films that could easily be confused with pictures from past centuries, before appreciating every detail of the gowns of the heroines of the new action movie on the posters in the art nouveau style. Ben Solo may be too severe and categorical – _and he needs to learn how to joke_! - but he seems to know how to see beauty in the world. Despite everything, Rey finds herself thinking he saw _her_ too).

On this day, Ben continues to work late after coming home. Deadlines are running out, and he is impatient to finish sketches to start painting.

A taxi stops at the entrance downstairs. Through the window Ben sees three figures, two in colorful dresses and one in a gray robe. Throwing away the stylus, he walks around the apartment and, having thought of nothing better, goes to the elevator after a few seconds. When he is halfway there, its doors parted and Rose and Kaydel come out into the hallway with bags in their hands, pointy latex ears peeping through their loose hair. Rey follows them, wearing a long light gray hooded poncho and a pointy hat, throwing a false long beard up in the air and catching it.

“And then Armie told me-“

“Hi,” Ben says. They freeze, as if seeing him for the first time in their lives.

Rose falls silent and pinches her arm through the scarlet sleeve, giggling. Rey narrows her eyes suspiciously from under the hat, asking him: _do the hobbits look good?_

“Good evening, Ben,” Kaydel finally replies, giving him a drunken smile (that one he learned to recognize at first sight as a child). Clenching his fist, Ben forces himself to remain calm.

“Your costumes look wonderful.”

He says it sincerely: elven gowns and jewelry are really impressive, and Rey looks like a real witch from some fantasy movie (although, perhaps, in her case, he may be a little biased).

“I heard that another prequel to _The Lord of the Rings_ is being shot now. You all need to audition for the extras.” Ben casts his deep gaze on Rey.

Rose throws up her hands in mock indignation.

“Why extras? We could handle the main roles!”

“Yeaaah!” Kaydel confirms laughing, and the girls give each other five.

Ben inwardly breathes a sigh of relief. Rey's eyebrows go up, but her face softens.

“I think it's time for my future movie stars to sleep. Good night... Ben.”

She takes her friends by the hands, pushing them to the door. Ben swears that she almost, _almost_ smiled.

“Good night.”

Their door closes. Ben puts his hands on his hips, turning away slowly. If he drank alcohol, he would immediately pour himself a glass of whiskey. Fortunately, fruits always have the same effect on him.

__________

Still no sound comes from Rose's and Kaydel's rooms, even though almost ten hours have passed.

Waking up on the couch in the living room, Rey gets dressed and goes through the pictures from yesterday's party. Everyone said her costume was _truly magical_ (Finn, aka _Jack Sparrow_ , even took her staff for himself as one more birthday present), as were the blueberry, raspberry, and cherry muffins that made by her according to her grandmother's recipe. Finn has ordered so much sushi and pizza that the girls took most of the pastries home, though.

Eating one blueberry muffin, Rey looks at her Tupperware with a dozen more muffins and snorts.

Ben was extremely nice to them yesterday, and Rose even said with a smirk that he had never said so many words in front of her at a time. And God, he even _praised_ their outfits! Rey decides they need to build on the success. Would you believe he almost _smiled_?

Taking a plate from the kitchen, she puts several muffins with different flavors on it and leaves the apartment, quietly closing the door behind her.

(After a moment, Rose looks out of her room, before beaming from ear to ear, raising her fist in triumph. She knows Rey and she has seen enough to be sure her plan will succeed.)

Ben anwers the door a few seconds later her knocking. His glasses, slightly tousled hair and gray pajamas are enough to leave Rey speechless again for a moment.

“Hi, can I help you?” He asks the same question as that night, like nothing had happened, although now she sees his eyes sparkling with fun.

“Hi! I need your help with an important mission,” Rey replies, raising the plate higher. “These little guys have filled our kitchen. Have you ever dealt with them?”

She continues, nodding to stress her words. “I heard they're… _good_.”

Bemused, he looks at the muffins and then back at her, blinking as if he isn't sure he's awake. Rey thinks it's unlikely that many come to him just to offer some food – or for anything at all. Rose said she never saw guests at his place.

Rey loves her friends very much and she knows that they would never leave her for long, but sometimes she can still feel lonely. He may probably feel even worse.

“There are only berries, I promise,” Rey takes it upon herself to speak, as the silence stretches out, making her feel uncomfortable. She shouldn't have come here, he was probably going to spend this Saturday morning in peace and quiet…

Ben looks like he has just finished doing some complicated calculations.

“Thank you, Rey! I…” he turns his head, grinning slightly, running his fingers through his hair that makes him look even more attractive. “I'll help you with this. Would you like to come in, maybe? I've just made coffee.”

“Sure. Thanks, Ben.”

Rey slips inside, smelling the scent of mint toothpaste from him.

Ben's apartment is light and spacious, without countless figurines and scattered clothes she always sees at Rose and Kaydel's place. All walls are decorated with sketches and paintings of cathedrals and skyscrapers, and sometimes there are also people in fancy clothes. At the bottom of them is his small signature – a few delicate lines forming the name _Ben O. Solo_. She walks past the living room, catching a glimpse of Apple iMac and an easel, to the silver-tone kitchen. The only colorful thing here is a bowl of green apples on the kitchen island.

Ben puts on the table two mugs of coffee, sugar, cinnamon, and milk, sitting down across from Rey. Pouring milk for herself, Rey reaches for cinnamon. Ben does the same without looking up, and their hands meet just above the shaker. Her fingers look tiny compared to his.

“I can't drink coffee without cinnamon,” Rey laughs scrunching her nose to ease the embarrassment. “It’s all my grandma.”

“And my mom,” Ben pushes the shaker across the table towards her, taking the blueberry muffin off the plate.

Rey watches his reaction closely and feels satisfied.

“This is the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted besides my mom’s _Cloudshape_ cakes,” he says, sipping his coffee and smiling at her.

If Rey was less fond of cooking, she would just sit here, watching him eat her muffins. But now she feels professional envy filling her.

“What are these cakes?”

“A bisquit with berries, a strip of whipped cream with white chocolate chips, and a meringue,” Ben replies, and the envy inside Rey eventually gives way to pure delight.

“And the berries color the biscuit so that it looks like the rays of the sun coloring the clouds?” She stares at him, eyes burning.

“Yeah, I think so,” Ben confirms, impressed by her excitement.

“God, this makes my mouth water! I will exchange a whole tray of muffins of any flavor for this recipe.”

“Let me check – maybe your deal will be accepted.”

That’s two good jokes in two days, Rey thinks laughing. Now he looks anything but _sour_. For her, it’s much easier to talk to him than to those guys who asked her out on one date only to become unavailable after that.

They’re drinking coffee while Rey recalls aloud her grandmother's trademark pastries, choosing the appropriate names: the _Sunny_ apricot tartlets, the _Poppy Field_ cherry pie, the _Sky_ blue and white cake with lavender and blueberries, and so on.

Ben joins her, suggesting thinking about the names of the famous paintings in the same color scheme, but Rey has to admit that she was not very good at it. It turns out that he is just a walking encyclopedia, describing her all the details so vividly that Rey can’t help but see the pictures rising from the depths of her memory.

“Look,” he starts, “you told me about an apple pie with candied violets. Call it, for example… _Primavera,_ or _Spring_. This is a painting by Sandro Botticelli-“

“Okay.”

“-and you can see there both apples and flowers.”

“Great! And if I make lavender and blueberries _cakes_ , I can call them _Blue Ballerinas_ , like-” she snaps her fingers, looking inquiringly at Ben.

" _Blue Dancers_ , Degas,” he corrects her, smiling at her putting the bitten muffin down on the table before throwing up her hands in triumph.

“I'm not hopeless!”

He nods: _of course she is alright, to say the least_.

Rey looks like she’s about to tell him something else, but she changes her mind, tracing her finger over the black outlines of butterflies on the empty mug, still happy. After nearly two hours of incessant chatter, there is a silence, rather pleasant than otherwise. The more Ben looks at Rey, the more it seems to him that he has known her for a very long time. She is all shine, full of energy, _sincere_. He always felt different about such people, finding them hypocritical and grandstanding. But now, with her, he feels an unusual peace and relief that make him forget about why he prefers loneliness.

Rey catches herself thinking how natural it feels to sit in Ben’s kitchen next to him without any embarrassment. She likes how carefully he listens to her. Ben seems glad to chat about trifles with someone who pays no attention to his stern face. Rey really wants to cheer him up. It seems like he needs it.

Ben taps his fingers on the table.

“You know… I think I have a drawing of those _Cloudshape_ cakes.”

“Show me.” Rey immediately forgets about the mug.

_While the whole world is taking pictures of food, he draws it?_

_Rose, Kaydel, where did you hide such a treasure?!_

She follows Ben to the living room. While he’s pulling out his sketchpads, Rey stops at his long, full bookcase. Collins, Dostoevsky, Dumas, Galsworthy, Joyce, Orwell, Pratchett… Rey knows many of these books by heart.

"I like Death," Rey says, pointing at _Soul Music_. “He is fond of curry and cats and also made a swing for his granddaughter.”

“Miss Susan with her poker has always been my ideal girlfriend,” Ben intones without looking up. (She doesn’t see his smirk at the word _“cats”._ )

“She's cool,” Rey nods. “But Mustrum Ridcully...” she sighs, pretending to be dizzy with admiration.

“And the Dean and the Bursar and the rest, I hear you. I can talk about the Discworld for hours, so let's not get into that.”

 _"Darn them to Heck!"_ Rey exclaims, looking at _Reaper Man_ with love in her eyes.

The last time she said that, she got a polite but bewildered look. It must be said that that guy had been upset from the very beginning with her wearing jeans and a sweater instead of a short dress, but _this_ was the last straw.

_“_ Well, _even with nougat you can have a perfect moment,”_ Ben says edifyingly. “Rey, I'm serious – _for hours_.”

(Not that either of them would mind.)

Rey snorts, taking a step forward. _Harry Potter_ , Tolkien... and what's _this_?

“You like _Galactic Wars_?” She asks surprisingly, looking at the brand new copies of all nine novelizations and several more _GW_ books next to Campbell's _The Hero with a Thousand Faces_. She didn’t notice anything in the apartment that would indicate Ben as an ardent fan.

He finally lifts his gaze from the sketchpads.

“I… I just _watched_ the movies and looked though the books. This is for work.”

“Do you draw posters?” she nods at the easel, to which are pinned several images from those movies.

Rey hasn't watched _Galactic Wars_ for a long time, but she knows all the plot details of the last movie that made her two colleagues from the finance department cry (“ _And half the world cries with us, Rey, for hell’s sake!_ ”). She vaguely remembers that in the last minutes of the movie, the redeemed hero revives his beloved Kira and dies in her arms several seconds later, leaving her flying into the sunset alone.

_“What idiot came up with this? Is this a happy ending, I ask you?! Who dies after kissing, after smiling LIKE THAT?"_

_“Wait, you can see that death scene was reversed - in fact, Kylo didn’t die, and I read that they filmed some alternative endings. And if you listen to the soundtrack..."_

“Sometimes,” Ben’s voice pulls her out of that unhappy fictional love story, “but this is a special case. In honor of the anniversary of the film company, they are preparing a limited edition of all nine novelizations. I’m working on sketches for covers and illustrations to submit to the competition.”

“Wow… you have a fantastic job,” Rey says. She wishes she could draw. “And I just sit there and spend whole days preparing invoices and reconciliation reports.”

 _“Being accountant you will be fine,”_ said grandma Maz, although Rey always liked to cook more.

“So it was a right idea to dress up as a wizard, Rey,” Ben shrugs. “I still sometimes get confused about taxes.”

Rey shakes her head in disbelief, taking the sketchpad from his hands. The hand-drawn cakes look surprisingly real, and she finds herself running her fingers along the uneven snow-white top of the meringues to remind herself it’s paper.

“It’s so beautiful! You have a gift.”

God, of course _he has a gift_. Otherwise, his pictures wouldn’t be so popular on the Internet. But Ben doesn’t look disappointed, and Rey decides not to berate herself anymore for anything.

Curiously, she turns several pages to see a sketch of a little boy with familiar features next to his father and mother. Her thick dark hair is tied in a braid around her head.

“This is your family? You look like your father.” Rey traces the outline of the boy’s grin with her index finger.

“I hope not,” Ben protests, voice sharp, unable to contain himself. He didn’t have time to stop Rey and now feels hurt by her accidentally touching a nerve.

Seeing his annoyance, she tightens her grip on the sketchpad. He said he didn’t play with drunkards. Perhaps it has something to do with his father.

“Well, I have no pictures of my parents, so I don’t know who exactly I look like,” Rey says.

“Why?”

“There was a fire at our place. A gas explosion, to be exact. They both were home, so… I was five. I don’t remember anything, by my grandma always told me that I was most like her. ”

At school and university, everyone had known her story – as well as her grandmother, who came to all events to support her granddaughter. Now Rey is capable of telling her story calmly, but Ben looks at her with an expression of shock and regret.

“I'm so sorry,” he breaths. Rey is surprised by his tone. Raising her head quickly, she meets his serious gaze.

“It's okay. I’m not sensitive about it. Trust me,” she smiles slightly, fighting the urge to take his hand reassuringly.

He looks _lost_. This is definitely not what you expect to suddenly find out about a girl you have known for less than a couple of days in total, but his expressive face tells her he is overwhelmed by her words.

They need to change the subject. Giving him the sketchpad back, she approaches the easel. There's a sheet of paper with a simple sketch of the faces of the characters from _Galactic Wars_ , Kira and Kylo, as well as the title of the last movie in calligraphic handwriting. Despite having a computer, Ben prefers to do sketches on paper first, tracing the letters and the lines out one by one with his pencil, feeling the soft smell of graphite.

“This is perfection,” Rey says authoritatively. “I think some of my colleagues would offer you a nice sum for THAT top-secret stuff from the big bosses.”

“Do you mean about them bringing him back?” Ben does his best to make his voice sound casual. “I don’t know. They would hardly tell me anything, even if I won. And, to be honest, the ending doesn't seem so _awful_ to me.”

"It's a fairy tale, Ben," Rey shrugs lightly, tilting her head. “Fairy tales should always end well.”

“Well, Kira is alive.”

“And she lost her love who gave his life for her. I know they fought with each other throughout the movie, but previously...”

“Kylo killed his father,” Ben reminds her adamantly.

“And he forgave him.” She begins to sound like one of her suffering colleagues, but nothing can stop her once she sees wrong. “Kylo believed that this way he could become a full-fledged villain, but hatred doesn’t make you stronger. It only _destroys_.”

“That’s what they proved in the end when he died,” Ben concludes.

Rey grimaces at him.

“Kira knew that there was good in him. Eventually, Kylo figured it out himself, and if they united to help restore the galaxy, it would be a much stronger message than _if you did bad things, you should die, no matter how you want to fix everything._ Guys, our real life is already full of shit,” Rey snorts, spreading her hands. “People go watch fantasy movies to find _hope_ , not to suffer.”

Ben slowly takes off his glasses and puts them on the table, remembering the last conversation with his father that ended with them having another fight. Ben reminded him how many days of his childhood he had spent at Aunt Amilyn’s place while his mother had helped his father come back from another goddamn binge. And Han, who has not taken a drop in his mouth in recent years, just said bitterly that his son wished him dead.

“Maybe I _do_. At least, Mom would not suffer!"

Leia sided with her husband.

“You know, my colleague has a tattoo with a line from one novelization,” comes Rey’s voice, as she waves her hand toward the bookcase. " _Love can ignite the stars_. I like it. I think this is the meaning of _all_ fairy tales, but sometimes it works in real life too.”

He is silent, trying to understand if she has just read his mind, or he himself suddenly decides to draw a parallel between the story of the fictional galactic warrior and his own. Rey, meanwhile, leans closer to the drawing of Kylo’s face, smirking.

“Can I give you some advice? Make him less harsh and more like Mr. Darcy, for example. Millions of Kyra fans will thank you for the _space prince_. You will be the new hero.”

Rey chuckles, as Ben rolls his eyes at _Kyra_ dramatically.

“I'm not kidding, I was told he was really a prince,” Rey solemnly puts her hand on his shoulder. “So it's serious. _We're the spark that'll light the fire_ – that's what that guy in the trailer of the movie said, huh?”

Ben puts his warm hand over hers, lowering them both, squeezing her fingers gently. Rey is not sure if he realized it was a joke; she herself doesn't understand why she did that. He sighs, as if being surprised at what he's doing, but he doesn't pull away.

“That's why I stan guys like Pratchett and Tolkien,” Rey says, realizing that she can't take her eyes off him. They stand by the window, and, catching the light, his brown eyes glint amber like the honey she adds to her tea to relax.

“Because they didn't kill their main characters?” Ben asks quietly, stroking her palm with his thumb. Now Rey looks like a real elf, her brown hair shining with gold, her green eyes transparent and reminding him of impressionist paintings – or rather Monet's _Water Lilies_.

“Because they gave them happy endings, and no one can take them away ,” Rey grins, arching an eyebrow. “No matter how many movies will be made.”

_Which movies?.._ Ben has no idea. Neither does he know who moves first, but suddenly she stands closer to him. He can see all the freckles on her cheeks and nose, but before he can do anything, the loud beeping sound of a new message comes from Rey’s phone in her back pocket. They both jump.

Glancing at the screen, Rey sighs, a grimace twisting her face.

“Jeez! It's from Rose. She and Kaydel lost me. Finn's friend Poe is having a barbecue today, and Kaydel intends to wow him. She needs our help.”

“So she’ll bake him something too?”

“No, she wants to wear _that_ dress in which-“ Rey pauses, giving him a puzzled look. “What do you mean by _"too"_?”

Ben laughs softly. Suddenly he feels light, and everything seems so easy for the first time in forever.

She likes his laugh, rumbling and soft. Rey's eyes flicker over his face.

“I just thought... If you had brought the muffins that night, maybe I'd have agreed to help you bathe the cat. Benny, is it?”

“The muffins?” Rey echoes, her voice choking a bit.

"Yeah," he nods, not doubting that she understands that he means something much more.

She does.

All the relationship tips from the magazines they usually flip through with her friends flash through Rey's mind: _who should be the first to call and ask out, what questions can help to fall in love_ , and so on. But Rey decides to push them away. She feels Ben’s every gesture and word like something long forgotten, good, _right_ – maybe that’s how it feels like when you meet your soulmate or someone like that.

It’s not just about his appearance; she sees beauty _inside_ him too.

She really, _really_ was going to kiss him on the cheek to thank him for everything, and then say goodbye and leave. But suddenly Ben tilts his head slightly, and, standing up on tiptoe, eyes closing, she finds herself kissing his _lips_.

It has been almost ten years since her first (and the last) kiss, so Rey forgets how it feels. She barely stands still, her ears ringing.

Ben freezes momentarily, but then he leans forward, deepening their kiss, tightening his grip on her thin waist and shirt with a flower print. With a squeak, Rey pulls away slightly, eyes sparkling and cheeks flushed, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

She feels the tastes of cinnamon and coffee on her lips. _This_ kiss is not part of her plans for today, but she will never admit it. Rey touches Ben’s cheek. It’s so strange that many people do not believe in magic – in the way Ben looks at her, she sees a real miracle.

“Sorry.” Wrapping his arms around her, holding her gently, he kisses her again, feeling the sweet tastes of blueberry and cherry.

She runs her fingers through his thick raven hair, as she has been dreaming of doing from that _Truth or Dare?_ night. As their lips move together slowly, the smells of cinnamon and coffee mixes with something woody Rey doesn’t recognize, but this makes her think about the eucalyptus trees and koalas gripping their trunks. Ben is _very_ tall; even his bookcase is lower.

Rey’s phone beeps again. She groans, hiding her face on his gray shirt, wishing they would suddenly find themselves in a galaxy far, far away or in Middle-earth – anywhere with no connection.

“Go. Otherwise, Rose will call the police,” Ben says, as she looks up sadly. “And I need to return to the _space prince_.”

“Tomorrow I'm free,” Rey says, their fingers interlocked as they move to the foyer.

“Great. We'll go for a walk in the park. Or,” he smiles, stopping at the front door, “to the Impressionists exhibition.”

“I don’t know why exactly there, but I agree.”

Finally, Rey gives him a beaming smile, slipping out into the hallway. She leaves, but he can still feel a warm feeling in his chest. Closing the door, Ben hears Rose's voice, who already waits for her friend in the hallway, no doubt.

“Hey, honey! Have you agreed when to bathe the cat?”

________________

Rey looks very, _very_ nervous, rearranging the silverware on the table for the fifth time.

“Relax, Sunshine!” Ben intones, his eyes still on the computer screen. “Everything is fine.”

“Everything should be _perfect_!”

He groans. “God help me.”

He goes up to her, cupping her face in his hands. Tonight, three months after their first official date (all calls, messages, dates and _pastries_ ), Ben introduces her to his parents, and Rey is on pins and needles.

“ _Everything_ ,” he starts, kissing her on the forehead, “ _here_ ,” he kisses her nose, “ _is just_ ,” he kisses her left cheek, “ _galactically_ ,” he kisses her the other cheek, “ _perfect_.”

He ends his sentence with kissing her lips. Rey wraps her arms tightly around his waist, pressing her head to his chest.

“What if they don't like the food? The _Starry_ muffins? What if they don't like _me_?”

“I knew it!” He shakes his head in mock shock. “Are you afraid you’ll not get my mom's _Cloudshape_ cakes recipe?”

“Ben!” She hits him in the chest with her fist, only to fly into the air two seconds later, gasping loudly. Carrying her in a fireman's hold, Ben returns to his computer as if nothing happened to take another look at the final cover of the novelization of the first _Galactic Wars_ movie.

“Don’t dangle your legs!” he tickles her knee under her bright yellow dress, examining the picture.

Chuckling, Rey wraps her legs around his waist, before putting her arms around his neck, as if climbing a tree, blocking the view. She knows he loves to kiss her like that. Ben laughs, taking a step back to prove she's right.

After a while, Rey sinks to the floor and, having thoroughly ruffled his hair, goes to straighten her dress.

Smiling to himself, Ben saves the file. Some people would say he had changed his life too quickly, given that previously he couldn't say a few words to his neighbors and preferred books and drawing to the real world. Now his lonely succulents are surrounded by the plants with bright flowers that Rey brought from her apartment a week ago, her bookcase face his own, and there is a timer in the shape of a cat in the kitchen. It's a gift from Rose, who is sure that her best friend's happiness is her personal achievement.

Rey loves experimenting in the kitchen and decided to teach Ben to distinguish between different subtle hints (" _it's like drawing_ "). Today he smells curry, nutmeg and rosemary, as well as warm raspberry and honey. Their apartment now always smells deliciously of spices.

His girlfriend literally _flies_ around here like a bright little meteor, remembering to make him coffee with cinnamon in the mornings or when he stays at work. Ben, in turn, made a list of the names of his favorite paintings, and she spends her free time enthusiastically picking recipes for them. She remains a bookworm too, so Ben makes a habit of checking her have a _real_ pillow instead of a book, which she puts under her head falling asleep.

Now this apartment is not just a place of residence, a place of work; it's _home_ , and he thanks Rey for this every day.

There is a knock on the door. Gasping, Rey hides behind Ben's back, squeezing his arms.

“Mom can be scary only in her office. She'll love you right away,” Ben reassures her, walking toward the door. “And Dad too.”

Peering over his shoulder, Rey smiles shyly. She looks beautiful, with her hair done by Rose and Kaydel and a little sun pendant, Ben's housewarming gift, glittering on her neck. For him, she is as warm and bright.

“I love you,” he reminds her. It's very easy for him to say that to her.

“I love you too.”

 _"Darn them to Heck!"_ they both exclaim, grinning.

Taking his hand, Rey stands by his side, taking a deep breath, preparing to greet Leia and Han.

 _What was it?_ Ben tries to remember, watching his mother kissing Rey on both cheeks, while his father admires the aromas that promise a delicious dinner.

Yes, exactly. _Love can ignite the stars._

**Author's Note:**

> I love that line from the ROTS novelization with all my heart, and I think it's perfect to describe Kylo Ren / Ben Solo's path from TFA to the kiss in TROS <3
> 
> Hope you paid attention to the Cloudshape cakes made by Leia, a princess of Alderaan ;)
> 
> In case if 3 months seem a short time for you, I'd like to share a story: an acquaintance of mine moved to her boyfriend's place after two weeks of dating. Five years later, they're happily married and raise a daughter. I'm glad such things still can happen in our world :D


End file.
